Traders transporting cattle face harassment and police action, and obtaining a licence to operate a slaughterhouse has become an ordeal, they added. Rather than risk legal trouble, the community has resolved to stop buying cattle altogether and to observe Bakrid by sacrificing sheep and goats.Risky tradeMohammed Zafar, a cattle trader from Alur whose family has been in the trade for decades, explained the ground reality. “We conduct our business within the law, which permits only the slaughter of buffaloes.
Even then, we face problems from the police. We struggle to obtain slaughterhouse licences. We have decided to boycott the market for some time to avoid such risks,” he said.As a result, hundreds of farmers who had arrived at the Hassan market hoping to sell aged and unproductive cattle and use the money for cultivation, school fees, or medical expenses, were left with no buyers and the added burden of paying to transport unsold animals back home.Unproductive cattle“We cannot afford to keep unproductive cattle.
We farmers are already burdened with so many problems. Selling cattle at the market used to fetch us a few thousand rupees,” said one farmer in a video clip from the market that went viral on Tuesday.The boycott has the backing of the Federation of Muslim Organisations, which has also appealed to community members not to purchase cattle for the festival, advising them to avoid the legal complications that such purchases now entail.State convener Anshad Palya, a lawyer, told The Hindu that the federation had met with cattle traders and slaughterhouse workers and persuaded them to extend the boycott.
- Traders transporting cattle face harassment and police action, and obtaining a licence to operate a slaughterhouse has become an ordeal, they added.
- “We conduct our business within the law, which permits only the slaughter of buffaloes.
- Even then, we face problems from the police.
“We will continue until the State government withdraws this controversial law that imposes restrictions on the transportation and slaughter of cattle,” he said.Many bookedMr. Palya pointed out that since the law was enacted by the BJP government in 2020, a large number of people — predominantly from the Muslim community — had been booked under its provisions, even for legitimate trade. “Our community has resolved to stop buying cattle to avoid inviting police action.
If there are no buyers, there is no trade — and that is the message we want the government to hear,” he said.The federation is now in contact with community leaders across other districts to expand the campaign State-wide. A round table involving dairy farmers, traders, and activists from progressive organisations is being planned in Hassan to build a broader coalition around the demand.Mr. Palya also took aim at what he called the BJP’s double standards on the issue.
